Draft Cover Letter for ARMS III

U nited States Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

In Cooperation with Economic Research Service

December 2015

Dear [Mr./Ms. LastName]

When it comes to policies that affect you, your family, your farm, and your community, accurate data are extremely important. To ensure that federal, state, local and industry decision-makers have accurate and objective information, we are surveying farmers across the United States in the annual Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). The results of this survey also help USDA assess the current financial state and production practices of U.S. farms.

Please take the time to respond to this important survey. Once all responses are in, NASS will analyze them and will publish the results in the Production Expenditures report in August 2016. ERS will use these results in August to prepare and disseminate the Department's annual estimates and forecasts of income, value-added, assets, liabilities, and financial indicators for the farm sector.

For your convenience, you have the following options to respond:

• Online at www.agcounts.usda.gov. It’s easy and secure. Please follow the instructions on the back of this letter.

• By mail. Complete the enclosed questionnaire and return it in the enclosed postage-paid envelope.

As with all our surveys, NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondents, ensuring that no individual respondent or operation can be identified. Be assured that your responses to ARMS will be kept completely confidential, as required by federal law.

Thank you in advance for investing in the future of U.S. agriculture and ensuring that decisions affecting you, your family, your business and your community are based on the facts.

Sincerely,

Mark Harris

Chair, Agricultural Statistics Board

U.S. Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

Enclosures

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(888) 424-7828 · www.nass.usda.gov

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